From Jean Sullivan…
[All photos courtesy of Luke Watkeys, main image above shows many of the Harriers who took part]
Wednesday evening saw the staging of the 24th Ilkley Incline race. This unique one-mile uphill-only race, with 560ft of ascent, begins at the bottom of the Keighley Gate Road in Ilkley. The route starts on tarmac road, before runners have a stony track to contend with.
Conditions on the night were damp and a bit drizzly at times, but it didn’t seem to deter entrants, with 33 signing up on the night itself. A total of 117 runners battled it out on this tough course, with 32 of those racing being Ilkley Harriers.
James Horrex was the first Harrier over the line, finishing in a superb eighth place in a time of 08:31. Hot on his heels was George Whittlestone, with a speedy finish time of 8:38, with Finn Maxwell the third Harrier home in another great time of 8:44. These great results meant that Ilkley men took the team prize.
Excellent results also for Ilkley ladies; Rebecca Brown was the first over the line, completing the course in 10:55, taking first place in her age category. She was followed by Sarah Worley in 11:12, with Kate Prior just one second behind, crossing the finish line in 11:13, and taking third place in her age category. Those performances meant that Ilkley also won the ladies team prize.
There were lots of age category prizes also for Ilkley Harriers, including: Nick Kealey, John Hayes, Ed Gamble and Bob Hamilton, all of whom finished first in their respective age categories. Peter Shelley, Jeremy Greenwood and Geoff Howard all finished second in their age categories, and Matthew Kennedy and Tim Buckingham took third place in their categories.
The evening was rounded off by the prize giving, with the first male and female finishers receiving the brand-new perpetual race trophy, kindly donated by our race founder Andy Wolfenden, with the beautiful new trophies deigned by Ilkley Harriers’ own Chris Oxlade.
Huge thanks to all those who kindly gave up their time to volunteer at the race, as well as to the Yorkshire Runner in Otley and Bini Brew Co. Ilkley, who generously sponsored the event.
